Ulysses took over from Scrivener as the writing app for long form writing this year. Augmented by the iPad version, Ulysses is an absolute pleasure to write in.

Alfred. This application with its workflows is now a "must have application" for me. Can't imagine using a Mac without this installed.

Keyboard Maestro. I got more familiar with Keyboard Maestro and started using it to automate tasks.

Deckset. Discovered this little gem and started making presentations with markdown and using Deckset to present.

Seil and Karabiner changed the caps lock key into a Super Key (⌘+⌃+⌥+⇧), which made it convenient to assign keyboard commands which did not conflict (both in Alfred and Keyboard Maestro). I took the first tentative steps into the rabbit hole of keyboard customization. Makes me productive but also ensures that I look like a buffoon when in front of someone else’s Mac. I am going to write about it in more detail when I am a lot more comfortable with this.

Hazel became integral to the management of files and the automation provided by it makes my life easier.

TextExpander grew further into being indispensable on the Mac and the iPad. I find myself using TextExpander’s ability to fill in the blanks snippets to automate some of the routine tasks of maintaining a blog.

On the iPad:

Ulysses for the iPad happened. I wrote about it here. It has taken over all my writing on the iPad. I love this application.

1Writer took over as the notetaking app from Editorial. Editorial is a great product, but 1Writer gets updated faster than Editorial. I am happy to see two such great text editors competing in the iOS space.

Drafts 4 is the app I use as a text box. I write in it and send the content over to a whole host of services, e.g., email, Dropbox, Twitter.

OmniOutliner 2 appeared on the App Store. Made it possible to use outlines to think things through on the iPad. I am working on this app daily.

TotalReader for iPad is the new reader on the iPad for me. It supports a whole range of formats and has the ability to access books from a host of cloud services.

Hardware:

Magic Keyboard is spreading its magic. Limited desk space made me ditch my Das Keyboard for the time being. I needed something smaller. Magic Keyboard fits the bill. Who designed the Up/Dn arrow keys? Other than that I am happy with it.

iPad Pro is on the wish list. One of these days, I keep telling myself.

The Future:

There is an nvALT successor coming from Brett Terpstra the mad scientist. I cannot wait.

Ulysses for iPad is getting an iOS makeover. It is going to work on both the iPhones and the iPads. I am looking forward to that.

Quiver is an app which I am getting familiar with. It does some nifty things and I am learning them. I will write about it soon.

Marked 2 like every app Brett Terpstra creates does a lot of nifty stuff and I need to learn how to use it better.

LightPaper is a new entrant in the markdown based text editor field. It does some new things no one else does. I am getting to like it. I will write about it in more detail shortly.